Mercedes-benz 300-series Convertible on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Mercedes-AMG gears up for 2016 DTM with new C63 Coupe

Mercedes was once a force to be reckoned with in DTM. The Silver Star marque won six drivers' championships and nine constructors' titles since the modern Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters series rebooted in 2000. But though it's currently leading the standings, the last time it won the championship was in 2010. Audi and BMW have traded bragging rights each year since. What you see here, then, is the vehicle by which Benz hopes to recapture its former glory in the German tin-top racing series. Presented alongside the Edition 1 at the Frankfurt Motor Show, the new touring car is based – stylistically at least – on the new C63 AMG Coupe, but is designed specifically for the race track. Underneath the largely carbon-fiber bodywork sits a 4.0-liter V8 engine driving 483 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque through a six-speed sequential gearbox to the rear wheels. It's suspended by pushrod-actuated by double wishbones and features a mechanical diff (but no traction control) and carbon-ceramic brakes (but no ABS). In short, the new C63 is all business. And it looks about ready to take on Germany's most famous racing circuits and those of some of its neighbors – from Hockenheim, the Nurburgring, and the EuroSpeedway Lausitz to Zandvoort, the Red Bull Ring, and the Moscow Raceway. Audi and BMW had better watch their mirrors. Mercedes-AMG DTM Team present 2016 race car - Looking ahead to the 2016 season: How the new DTM car fielded by the Mercedes-AMG DTM Team will look - Inspired by the DTM: AMG launch Edition 1 Mercedes-AMG C 63 Coupe - Five questions to Head of Mercedes-AMG DTM Ulrich Fritz - Overview: How Mercedes-Benz DTM vehicles have evolved - Ulrich Fritz: "Our aim with this vehicle is, of course, to continue the Mercedes-Benz success story in the DTM." The 2015 DTM season reaches its climax in September. But even before the final three race weekends of the year at Oschersleben, the Nurburgring and Hockenheim, the Mercedes-AMG DTM Team are providing an insight into what lies ahead for the race series, revealing the new car that they will enter for the 2016 campaign. Design adaptations to the 2016 Mercedes-AMG C 63 DTM first began last year. The dynamic-looking headlights and the twin blade grille typical of the AMG are two of the car's most striking features. The first tests with the new vehicle will take place during the winter as part of preparations for the 2016 season.

Daimler CEO says nobody is making money on EVs right now

What do you charge for a vehicle you're going to lose money on? If you're Mercedes-Benz and the vehicle in question is the B-Class Electric Drive, you offer it for lease for just 399 euros ($498) a month with a down payment of 8,473 euros ($10,582). If Daimler was going to price it honestly, it seems, the number would have to be a lot higher. "Nobody today is making a battery-powered vehicle that's economically viable." – Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche That's according to Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche, who spoke to reporters in Spain recently and said that, "You can reasonably say that nobody today is making a battery-powered vehicle that's economically viable in its own right. Manufacturers will not see a return within a reasonable time on the billions they're investing now." There are ways to make money in EVs, of course. Just ask Daimler, which recently sold its stake in Tesla for a cool $780 million. Zetsche has some EV-critical company in executives like Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne, who has said his company loses over $10,000 on each Fiat 500E it sells. Other automakers – e.g., Tesla, Nissan – are much more positive about their financial bet on EVs, but no one is opening all their books to the public to prove this. Tesla, which worked with Mercedes on the B-Class ED, will have an earnings call with investors later today, so perhaps we'll learn something new in a few hours. The B-Class ED lease deal is for 36 months, based on an MSRP of 39,151 euros ($48,895) in Europe, including the 19 percent VAT. You can read more in the press release below. Commercial release of Mercedes-Benz B-Class Electric Drive: Local emission-free driving from ˆ399/month Stuttgart, Nov 03, 2014 With its high-torque electric motor, the B-Class Electric Drive delivers lively and superior driving pleasure – with zero local emissions. The B-Class Electric Drive is now available to order, with deliveries set to start before the end of 2014. Prices start at ˆ39,151[1]. The B-Class Electric Drive can be leased through the Mercedes-Benz Bank from ˆ399 a month[2]. Further information on the full range of tailor-made leasing and financing offers as well as specific pricing examples are available at http://www.mercedes-benz-bank.de. Quiet and local emission-free driving is ensured by a 132 kW electric motor, which, as is typical of an electric drive, delivers its maximum torque of 340 Nm right from the start. The result is noticeably powerful acceleration from rest.

Mercedes goes boating again with G63 AMG-inspired Cigarette

Cigarette Racing has another Mercedes-Benz AMG-themed boat headed out to sea. After The SLS AMG-inspired 46-foot Rough Rider in 2010 and the C63 AMG Black Series-inspired 50-foot Marauder in 2012, this year's Miami Boat Show will introduce the 42-foot Huntress, theme provided by the G63 AMG.
The latest Cigarette homage is less overly racy than the ones before, befitting a watercraft modeled off a performance SUV, but don't let the looks fool: there are five Mercury Racing Verado 350SCi outboard engines, each one of them packing a supercharged inline six-cylinder with, natch, 350 horsepower. Those 1,750 horses will be good for 78 miles per hour when you've got some saltwater underneath you.
If you're in South Florida this week, Booth B-23 at the Miami Convention Center could be your best place to see it. Otherwise, like the 536-hp G63 AMG, it could be hard to catch. There's a press release with more information below.